August13,2015

From:159DurandSt,EastLansing,MI,48823
To:FordFoundation,320E43rdSt,Detroit,MI
Re:GrantProposal

Towhomitmayconcern,

IamwritingtoyouonbehalfoftheCapitalAreaLiteracyCoalition,anonprofitdedicated
toprovidingfreetutoringandeducationservicestotheLansingcommunity.Wework
entirelythroughthededicationofourvolunteertutorsandstaffmembers,whoareall
trainedineducatinglowliteracyadults.Ourservicesarefreeofcosttoallthosewhogo
throughourassessmentprocess,andallresourcesnecessaryforteachingadults
lifestyleliteracyskills,includinghowtocompletegovernmentforms,readroadsigns,
communicatewithadoctor,etc.areprovidedtoourtutorsoutofourhomeofficein
Lansing.

Aspartofanefforttoincreasecommunityoutreach,weplanonhostingachildrens
bookworkshopinthefallof2016.Thisworkshopwillbetargetedtohostchildrenand
familiescurrentlyinvolvedinourReadtoSucceedprogram,aprogramwhichworks
withareaschoolstohelpatriskyouthbuildliteracyskills.Thisprogramwould
encouragefamilyinvolvementinpromotingeducation,literacy,andcreativityin
Lansingslowincomecommunities.

Thisworkshopwillfeatureachildrensauthorasaguestspeakertoinspirecreativity
andfacilitateactivitiesgearedtowardcreatingachildrensbookasagroup.Programs
likethese,whichwehopetomakeanannualeventinpartnershipwithotherarea
nonprofitsinthefuture,willencouragecommunityengagementandawarenessofthe
extremelyhighratesofilliteracyinthegreaterLansingarea.

Wethankyouverykindlyforyourconsiderationofthefollowinggrantproposal.Our
programssuccesswouldonlybepossiblewiththehelpoforganizationslikeyours,and
wegreatlyappreciatetheworkthatyoudoforyourcommunity.

Sincerely,
AlexandraWard
CALCIntern
CapitalAreaLiteracyCoalition
(517)4854949

Summary

TheCALCisaprivatenonprofitvolunteerliteracyorganizationfoundedin1985.CALC,
knownasTheReadingPeople,providesavarietyoffreeservicestoenablepeopleto
reachpersonalgoalsthroughliteracy.Thecenterdevotesthetimeofitsvolunteersand
stafftocreatingafriendly,accessibleenvironmentforitsstudentsinordertopromote
personalfreedomsandthemaintenanceofademocraticsociety.Ourprograms,
includingbasicreadingtutoring,englishasasecondlanguageclassesalongwith
personaltutors,GEDprograms,andtheReadtoSucceedpartnerprogramwithlocal
schools,arefreetothepublicandofferconfidentialliteracytutoringfromtrained
volunteertutorswhoarededicatedtopromotingliteracyasakeytofunctioningmost
effectivelyinsociety.

TheCALCsmissionistohelpthoseinneedofliteracytutoringintheLansingarea.
Accordingtothe2012CensusSurvey,twentypercentorapproximately93,000adults,
intheGreaterLansingareaarefunctionallyilliterate.Adultswhoareclassifiedas
functionallyilliterateareunabletodothefollowing:completeaSocialSecurity
application,readapaystub,understanddirectionsonabottleofmedicine,calculatethe
totalofanorderform,orreadtheinstructionsonamicrowavedinner.TheCALChopes
tolessenthenegativeimpactofsuchliteracychallengesforthoseinneedandpromote
awareness.Ourprogramsseektoincreaseworkplaceliteracy,helpatriskyouth,
developfamilyliteracy,provideforpersonalimprovementandachievement,andcreate
acollaborativeliteracymodelforbusinesses,schools,communityagencies,andhigher
education.

Inthefollowingproposal,wearerequestinggrantfundingforacommunityworkshopwe
intendtohostinthefallof2016.Theworkshopaudiencewillbefamiliesofstudents
alreadyinvolvedinourReadtoSucceedprograminadditiontoatriskyouthunderthe
ageof13intheLansingarea.Thisworkshopwillallowparticipantstotakepartinthe
makingofachildrensbook,fromstarttofinish,withachildrensbookauthorandCALC
volunteertutorspresenttofacilitateactivitieswhichwillgenerateplot,characters,text,
andillustrationsforthebook.Thisworkshopintendstopromotethecentersprograms
tothelocalcommunity,teachwritingskillstochildren,promotefamilyinvolvement
literacy,andcultivateaninterestinreadingandwritinginyoungchildren.Thetotal
budgetforsupplies,spacerental,andspeakerfeesfortheeventis$3,500.Your
investmentof$2,500willprovidethefundingweneedtocompletethiscommunity
buildingproject,andweareexcitedattheprospectofpartneringwithyoutopromote
literacyintheLansingarea.Thankyouforyourtimeandconsiderationorourrequest.

Needs

IntheMichigantricountyarea,therearecurrentlyover20,000adultswhoarebelowa
highschoolliteracylevel.Manyofthesepeoplearerefugees,requiringschooling
offeredbyspeciallytrainedEnglishasaSecondLanguageteachersandtutors.Ina
societythatreliesonwrittensignals,anythingfromroadsignstocautionlabels,literacy
becomesanissueofsurvivalandfunctionalityinsociety.TheCapitalAreaLiteracy
Coalition,alsoknownasTheReadingPeople,seekstoprovidefreetutoringand
mentoringtolowliteracyadultsintheLansingarea.Ourprogramsincludingoneonone
EnglishasaSecondLanguageandBasicReadingtutoring,beginnersESLand
citizenshipcourses,andafterschoolmentorshipprogramsinareaschools.Beyond
providingliteracytutoring,theCALChopestospreadliteracyawarenesstoboththose
inthecommunityinneedoftutoringandthosewhomayunknowinglycomeintocontact
withsomeoneoflowliteracycapabilities.

InordertospreadthisawarenessintheLansingarea,theCALChopestohosta
childrensauthorshipworkshoptopromoteliteracy,theCoalitionscurrentlyoffered
programs,andcommunityawarenessandparticipation.Thiseventwouldhostawriting
workshopforchildren,keyspeakerssuchaschildrensauthors,andinformational
materialsforparentsassistingtheirlearningchildren.Thewritingworkshopwouldhold
combinedactivitiesforbothchildrenandadults,withanopportunitytowriteand
selfpublishabookasaclass,inordertopromotefamilyinvolvementinliteracy
learning.Thiswritingworkshopserieswouldencourageyoungwritersandprovidea
familyexperienceinvolvingbothchildrenandparents.Thefinalresultwouldalsoserve
asagreatpromotionalmaterialfortheCALC.Akeynotespeakerandworkshop
facilitatorwillbeaprominentchildrensauthor(thecenterhasPatriciaPolaccoinmind,
butbookingarrangementshavenotbeenmadeofficialatthispoint.)Informational
materialsforparentswouldincludeinformationaboutareaevents(suchasthose
hostedbytheLansingpubliclibrary)whichfurtherencouragechildhoodreading,howto
furtherachildsreadingskillsathome,etc.

A2009studyatPurdueUniversityshowsthatstudentsprovidedwithahandson
learningexperienceasopposedtotextbookorlecturebasedteachingshowedbetter
understandingofconceptsasawhole.Takingthisapproachinagroupworkshop
settingincludinghandsonactivitieswillhelplearnerstounderstandwhyimprovingtheir
literacyishelpful,necessary,andapplicable.Thissamestudyreportsthatstudentswho
seeadirectconnectionwiththeirlearningeffortsweremostlikelytosucceedin
longtermunderstandingofconcepts.Forthisreason,creatingaphysicalproductis
importanttoconnectingtopicssuchascharactercreation,imageryascombinedwith

text,andaplotstructuretoaphysicalproduct.Producingachildrensbookinawriting
workshopwouldgivestudentsaphysicalreminderoftheirhardworkintutoring
sessions,classes,andworkshops.

Becausethisprojectwillbemainlycenteredaroundvolunteerhumanhours,including
speakersandvolunteerstohelpruntheevent,ourbudgetwillcenteraroundtheneed
forprintingcosts.Wearerequesting$2,500toprintpromotionalmaterials,producea
childrensbook,andtocovercostsofsuppliesusedintheworkshopsandseminars
suchaspaper,writingutensils,organizationalmaterials,etc.

TheCALCiscreditedwithhelpingover600studentsperyearwiththehelpofvolunteer
tutors.TheCoalitionoffersprogramstofiteverystudentsneeds,includingbasic
readingtutoringthroughtoGEDtutoring.TheReadingPeoplearededicatedto
promotingliteracy,improvingliteracyintheLansingareaonapersonbypersonbasis,
andachievesthisgoalwithitshighlyeducatedstaffanddedicatedvolunteertutors.

Goals&Objectives

WiththeproposedchildrensbookworkshoptobehostedbytheCapitalAreaLiteracy
Coalition,theultimategoalwouldbetospreadawarenesstobothgeneralcommunity
membersandthoseinneedoftheCALCsservices.Gettingthewordoutbothby
hostingthisfamilyfriendlyworkshopactivityandcreatingthechildrensbooktobeused
asvaluablemarketingmaterialwillbebeneficialtospreadawarenessintheLansing
areaaboutthewidespreadissuethatisilliteracy,thefreeservicesthatareprovidedby
theCALCforthoseinneed,andwaystogetinvolvedasavolunteertutor.Inthecoming
year,helpedalongbythemarketingandeducationalvalueofthechildrensbook
workshop,theCALChopestohostatleast15newvolunteertutorsandstudents.While
weareinterestedinattractingmorestudents,asalways,targetingthiseventtoward
parentswithchildrenundertheageof13intheareaschoolswillincreasethepotential
fortheseparents,oldersiblings,orotheradultfamilymembersthatseethefinalproduct
(childrensbook)oftheworkshoptobecomeinvolvedwiththeCALCastutors.

Fortheworkshopitself,wehopetogetabout75%ofourparticipantsfromourcurrent
ReadtoSucceedprogramtoparticipate.Thiswouldbeabout45familiesthroughoutthe
Lansingarea.OurhopesarethatthechildrenalreadyinvolvedandawareoftheCALC
willgettheirfamiliesandothersiblingsinvolved.Thispassingalongofawareness
wouldpotentiallybringtheCALCbothnewstudentsandvolunteertutors.Attheendof
theworkshop,wehopetogiveeachoftheparticipatingfamiliesthefinalproduct
(selfpublishedchildrensbook)freeofcharge,andofferfamilymembersorother

communitymembersthebookatalowcosttopromotechildhoodreadingandparent
involvementinpromotingliteracyinchildren.Wehopetoproduceanddistributeatotal
of250copiesofthebook.

WehopethatthiswillbecomeanannualeventhostedbytheCALCinthefall,starting
intheyear2016.Partneringwithothersimilarnonprofitsintheareaisalsoagoal,and
creatingdifferentpartnershipstocohosteachyearseventwouldcreateanidealspace
formarketingandeducationonthepartsofbothnonprofits.Wehopetocombineefforts
with5differentnonprofitsintheLansingareaoverthenextfiveyears,andwillbe
targetingnonprofitsthatareeithersimilartousinthegoalofteachingliteracyorthat
wouldconnecttoourtargetaudienceandprovideinspirationforthechildrensbookto
becreatedbyparticipantsintheworkshop.Forexample,giventheopportunityto
partnerwiththeCapitalAreaHumaneSociety,thechosenspeaker/workshopfacilitator
wouldencouragethewritingofastoryaboutanimalsandtheeventcouldfeature
adoptableanimals,puppiestopet,etc.Creatingconnectionswithnonprofitsinthearea
wouldbebeneficialtobuildingasharednetworkofresourcesandcontacts.

Methods

FortheCALCsannualchildrensbookworkshop,theneedsareveryminimal.Firstoff,
wewillneedapointperson,alreadyonstaffattheCALCtobetheprojectmanagerand
headofmarketing.Fortheyear2016,AllieWardwillfillthisrole.Afterthecompletionof
herinternship,thispositionwillbefilledbyanunpaidinternwithDiClark,Assistant
Director,actingasadirectsupervisor.Thispersonwillbewhollyresponsiblefor
planningtheeventinitsentiretyandforcreatingmarketingmaterialssuchasflyersor
schoolnewsletters.

Marketingmaterialsshouldbemadebytheheadofmarketingusingoriginal
photographsanddesignsinaprogramlikeInDesign.Aportionofthegrant,ifreceived,
willgodirectlytotheCALCtocoverprintingcosts.Theflyersandnewsletterswillbe
printedusingtheCALCsprinters,andglossyfinishposters(ifneeded)willbe
purchasedfromavendoratthelowestprice.(ContendersincludeShutterfly,FedEx
Office,andStaples.)Theprintingshouldbedone2monthspriortotheevent(whichhas
notyetsetadate,butwillbesometimeinOctober),anddistributionshouldbegin
immediately.Distributorswillincludeheadofmarketing,theschoolsinvolvedthatthe
headofmarketinghaspreviouslycontacted,staffofCALC,andvolunteertutors.Places
likeschools,daycares,recreationalcenters,movietheaters,kidsstores,etc.shouldbe
targetedtoattractfamilieswithyoungchildrentotheworkshop.

Fortheeventitself,theCALCwillneedtorentaspacelargeenoughtoholdabout100
people,includingattendees,volunteers,andtheguestspeaker.Ifalocalschoolisnot
ableorwillingtodonatetimeintheirgymnasiumorauditoriumforouruse,wewould
lookforotherspaces,andthegrantmoneywouldalsobeusedtopayarentalfee.The
spaceshouldbesecured,withadepositmadeifnecessary,68weeksfromtheevent
date.

Tofacilitatetheevent,volunteertutorsalreadyinvolvedwiththeCALCwillbetasked
withmakingsuretheeventrunsassmoothlyaspossiblecheckingattendeesin,
collectingcontactinformationforlatersendingofthebook,helpingfacilitateactivities
throughouttheday,etc.Anotherintegralpartoftheeventwouldbetheguestspeaker.
ThisspeakerwillbeachildrensauthorandmostdesirablyliveintheMichiganarea.
Thisguestspeakerwouldneedtobesecured2monthsfromtheworkshopdate.All
transportationandhousingaccommodationsshouldbemade1monthfromthe
workshopdate,andmayaccountforaportionofthegrantmoneyspent.

Thefinalproductoftheworkshop,thechildrensbookwrittenandillustratedbythe
workshopattendees,willbeselfpublishedandprintedthroughMSUsEspressoBook
Machine.Alargeportionofthegrantfundswillgotowardsprintingandformattingcosts,
asformattingwillbedonebyanemployeeoftheMSULibrary.Weplantoprintenough
copiesforeachofthefamilieswhoattend/RSVPtotheworkshopfreeofcostand
additionalcopiesforpurchaseat$10eachforfamily,friends,andcommunitymembers.
FormattinganddesignofthefinalproductshouldbehandledbytheMSULibrary
employeeandprojectmanager.

Evaluation

GiventhattheCALCalreadyhasafollowingofvolunteertutorsandstudentsthrough
theirexistingprograms,forthechildrensbookworkshop,ourmainfocuswillbeon
gettingstudentsfromtheReadtoSucceedprogramtoattendtheworkshopwiththeir
families.Weexpectabout75%ofourparticipatingstudentstosignupfortheworkshop,
whichwouldbringabout45familiesfromtheLansingarea.Outsideoffamiliescurrently
involvedwiththeCALCsprograms,wehopetohave1020signupsfortheworkshop
activities.Becausethesuccessoftheprogramwillbemainlybasedonattendance,this
ishowwehopetoevaluatethesuccessofouradvertisingefforts.Ourgoalistohavea
10%increaseinattendancebetweenthefirstandsecondyearsevent.
Asaresultofthemarketingplanwehaveinplacefortheworkshopevent,theCALC
wouldliketoalsospreadthewordaboutthefreeservicesofferedand,inturn,attract
bothmorestudentsandvolunteers.Intheyearleadinguptotheevent,fromthis

October2015tonextOctober2016,wehopetohave15newvolunteerscompletetutor
trainingand15newstudentsbeaddedtoeithertheclassesofferedorbasicreading
tutoring.Toassessthesuccessofourmarketingeffortsasitrelatestobothworkshop
andtutoringattendance,wewillbegindistributingsurveystocollectdataonhoweach
studenthearsabouttheCALC,itsprograms,orevents.

Atthecompletionoftheevent,asecondsurveywillbedistributedtoboththeparents
andstudentswhoparticipateintheworkshop.Thissurveywillbeusedtoassessthe
studentsunderstandingofconceptsofstorytelling,reading,andwritingskillsafter
participatingintheworkshop.TheparentsurveywillassesshowtheCALCmight
improvethenextyearsevent,howtheymighthelptheirchildsreadingeducationinthe
future,andwhattheylearnedabouttheimportanceofliteratureineducation.This
surveywillgiveusdatatoincludeinourannualreport.Outsideofthis,wewillask
volunteertutorsrunningtheeventtodocumentstudentandparentreactiontotheevent,
theguestspeaker,andspecificactivitiesthroughouttheday.Thiswillgiveusthemost
comprehensiveideaofwhichpartsoftheeventweresuccessful,andwhichcouldbe
improveduponbasedonparticipantsenjoyment.

Budget

Presently,theCALChasnoallocatedbudgetfortheworkshopprojectproposed.For
thisreason,thefollowingbudgetincludestherequirementsofthechildrensauthors
workshopinfull,includingthefollowing:
Keynotespeakersfees,
Eventcostsincludingspacerentalandsupplies,
Humanhourscost,and
Marketingandpromotioncosts.

Thefollowingtablerepresentstheproposedbudgetforthechildrensauthorsworkshop.
Eachofthesecostshavebeenestimatedusingresourcesfoundonlinethrough
researchofmarketcostsofsupplyitems,humanhours,andeventspacerentalfees.

SpeakersFees
Supplies

$2500
Smallnotebooksforeach
participant:$1perpiecex60
pieces=
$60
Pencils:72pack=
$7
Crayons:$5perpackx10packs=

$50
SpaceRental

$95perhourx4hours=
$380

PrintingCosts

200flyers=
$60

BookMakingCosts

Design/formattingfee=
$50
$2perbookproducedx100=
$200

HumanHours

Eventstaffvolunteers=
$0
ProjectManager(internposition)=
$0
Foodprovidedforeventstaff=
$150

TotalBudget

$3,457

SpeakersFees

Forthechildrensauthorsworkshop,theCALChaschosenPatriciaPolacco,a
prominentchildrensauthorlivinginMichigancurrently,tohosttheeventasakeynote
speakerandactivitiesfacilitator.Ms.Polaccoishighlyexperiencedinparticipatingin
suchworkshops,andherexpertisewillbeinspiringtochildrenandadultparticipants
alike.Herfeeforthedayis$2500flatrate(asshelivesinstate,shewillprovideher
owntransportation.)FoodcostsforMs.Polaccohavebeenaddedtothecostoffoodfor
eventstaffvolunteers.

Supplies

Allofthesesupplieswillbepassedouttoparticipantsfortheiruseduringandafterthe
workshop.Overthecourseoftheworkshop,participantswillbeleadthroughavariety
ofactivitiesforthebrainstorming,drafting,editingandillustratingofashort
selfpublishedchildrensbook.Eachofthesestepswillbecompletedbyparticipants
andfacilitatedbybothMs.Polacco,ourselectedkeynotespeaker,andvolunteertutors
currentlyworkingwiththeCALC.

SpaceRental

TheCALChopestopartnerwithanareaschoolforliteracyawarenessandyoung
authorshipencouragementprograms,inwhichcaseaneventspacerentalmaynotbe

necessarytoincludeinthebudget.However,wehaveincludedanestimateofwhatit
wouldcosttorentalargeauditoriumspaceinanareahighschoolbasedoninformation
foundonRoyalOakHighSchool.

PrintingCosts

Ourprimarypromotionalmaterialwillbepaperflyerstobehungupinplaceslikelocal
schools,daycares,grocerystores,etc.Ourtargetaudienceincludesfamilieswith
childrenundertheageof14.Wehaveallottedabudgetfor200flyerstobeprintedfor
marketingpurposes,andalladditionalprintingneedswillbecoveredbytheexisting
printingbudgetmaintainedbytheCALC.

BookMakingCosts

Thefinalproductoftheworkshopwillbeaselfpublishedchildrensbook,whichwillbe
giventoallparticipants(oneperfamily)freeofcharge.Alladditionalcopieswillbesold
tofamily,friends,andsupportersoftheCALCfor$8perpiece.UsingtheMSU
EspressoBookMachine,designandformattinghaveaonetimefeeof$50,andeach
bookprintedwillcost$2.Inthisbudget,wehavenotincludedthebalanceafterallofthe
printedbookshavesold,butinsteadonlywhatthecostofmakingthemwillbe.

HumanHours

Thelargestdedicationofhumanhourstotheprojectwillbefromtheprojectmanager.
Thispositionisaninternspositionandwillbecompletedwithoutconsiderationofan
hourlywage.DiClarkiscurrentlyinchargeofinternshipparticipationandplanningand
willrequirenoextrafeeforoverseeingtheinternsprogressonthisproject.Allevent
staffwillbeselectedfromexistingvolunteersintheCALCtutorprogramandwillbe
donatingtheirtimetotheworkshop.Fortheirefforts,wehaveprovidedabudgetfor
foodandrefreshmentthedayoftheworkshopavailabletoallvolunteers.

Background

TheCapitalAreaLiteracyCoalitionisanonprofitdedicatedtoaddressingtheissueof
illiteracyinadultsintheLansingarea.TheCALCoperatesoutofabuildingonEast
SaginawSt.inLansing,MIandisopen5daysaweekandisthecenterforalltutor
materials,classeshostedbytheCALC,andsupportstaffoffices.Thecentercurrently
hosts44activevolunteertutors,mostofwhichtutorasinglestudentatleasttwohours
perweek.Eachstudentinneedismatchedwithatutorbasedonavailability,similar

personalinterests,andtutorpreferencesofstudentswithspecificneeds.Includingboth
privatetutorsandclasssettings,theCALCsupports73students.Whileallofthese
studentsareconsideredlowliteracy,eachofthestudentsaredividedintocategoriesto
bestfittheirneedswhenbeingmatchedwithtutors,includingbasicreading,englishas
asecondlanguage,andGEDstudents.

Besidesvolunteersandstudents,thecenteremploys6fulltimestaffmemberswhose
dutiesincludeplanningtutortrainingsessions,grantwriting,reception,student/tutor
matching,administration,andtheoverseeingofGEDtraining.Thesestaffmembersare
dedicatedtoprovidingthebestfreetutoringprogramspossible,includingrecruitingand
trainingnewvolunteertutors,keepingtheofficeopenandfunctioningforproviding
printingandcomputeraccess,andmaintainingawealthofthenewestteaching
materialsfortutorreference.Dr.LoisBader,whoisheadoftheorganization,authorofa
multitudeofteachingmaterials,andcreatoroftheBadermethodofdiagnostictesting
employsherextensiveknowledgeofteachingtopassoneffectivemethodstovolunteer
tutorsinordertoprovidefreeservicestothoseinneed.

DiClark,aheadofadministrationattheCALCandleadgrantwriterhas20yearsof
industryexperienceandreportsontheorganizationsfinancialrecordseachyearinits
annualreport(whichisopenlypublishedforpublicrecord.)Accordingtothisreport,the
organizationstotalexpensesoverthe2014fiscalyearwere$270,000theseexpenses
wenttowardbuildingoperationandmaintenance,supplies(includingprintingandwriting
utensils),andteachingmaterials.Accordingtothissamereport,theannualincome,
includingdonations,fundraising,andgrants,is$306,432.Giventhis,theCALCisable
toconsistentlyabletoimprovetheprogramsoffered,includingtheadditionofa
ReadtoSucceedprogramwithareaschool,anintensivecitizenshipcourse,englishas
asecondlanguageclass,andmigrantworkerparent/childprograms.Withanaverage
of15newtutorsandstudentsservedperyear,theCALCisonasteadyriseofreaching
thoseinneedofliteracytrainingforfunctioninginsocietyandtheworkplaceinthe
Lansingarea.

Conclusion

TheCALChopestomakethischildrensbookworkshopanannualeventtopromote
communityengagementandspreadawarenessofbothliteracyissuesandservicesthe
centeroffers.TheentiretyoftheworkshopwillbecarriedoutbyCALCstaffand
volunteertutors,whowillplantheevent,marketit,andfacilitateactivitiesoftheevent
itself.Ourbudgetincludesallanticipatedcosts,includingcostsofeventspacerental
andsuppliesusedbyparticipants.Themajorityofthefundingfortheeventwillbe

providedthroughgrants,andwegreatlyappreciatetheopportunitytoapplyforthegrant
theFordFoundationoffers.